Knitting machine



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KNITTING MACHINE A Filed April 19, 195o y 1o sheets-sheet 1o LUI |||||||ul 4 -24- -26- lnventor5 Qobou QQ SMM United States Patent O KNITTBNG MACHINE Frederick Edward Deans, Leicester, William Widdowson,

Tollerton, and Sidney Ronald Davis, Nottingham, England, assignors, by mesne assignments, to The Bentley Engineering `Company Limited, Leicester, England Application April 19, 1950, Serial No. 156,766

Claims priority, application Great Britain April 2.2, 1949 16 yClaims. (Cl. 456-42) This invention concerns knitting machines, particularly circular knitting machines constructed and arranged for the production of stockings, socks, and like articles of footwear (hereinafter referred to as stockings) of the type having a leg and foot knitted by rotation and heel and toe pouches knitted by oscillation or, as it is commonly termed reciprocation. The invention is further concerned with the stocking itself.

An object of this invention is a construction of circular knitting machine which permits a stocking of the type specied to be produced more expeditiously than heretofore. Another object of this invention is an improved selecting mechanism giving a very wide selecting scope. A specific object is a selecting mechanism which permits selections to be made from among a substantial number of needles orother instruments but which additionally permits instruments of a limited group thereof to partake of movements differing from those of the other instruments, the number of instruments in that group which partake of these additional movements being varied progressively course after course.

As viewed from one aspect the invention provides a circular knitting machine of the type having a needle bed and knitting cams and organised to knit a stocking leg by relative rotationrbetween the bed and cams and heel and toe pouches by relative oscillation between them, which machine is provided with two knitting positions and at each position with a set of thread feeders and a set of knitting cams each of which sets of feeders includes at least one main feeder and at least one splicing feeder and each of which sets of cams is arranged to knit during rotation and during oscillation whereby two courses are knitted at each rotation and at each swing, pouching mechanism for knitting a heel pouch and a toe pouch by oscillation and for diverting, at the commencement of each pouch, the needles not required for it to an inactive loop-holding level and for subsequently restoring them to knitting activity, and needle controlling mechanism for causing a selected and Variable number of the needles employed for the heel to take and knit a splicing thread in addition to the main thread at each knotting position in the production of a spliced area above the heel and in the foot bottom. Desirably the machine also has welting mechanism for producing an inturned welt.

It will be appreciated that because two courses are knitted at each rotation the production of tubular knitting is speeded up and, what is more important, because two courses are knitted in each swing the production of the pockets is speeded up also, it being well known that the production of the pockets is one of the slowest operations normally involved in the manufacture of a stocking of the type specified. The two pouches may be knitted on the same, or substantially the same, needles so that the linking line by which the toe is eventually closed in known manner is located across the top of the stocking foot. However, if it is desired so to arrange matters that the linking line extends across beneath the stocking foot,

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then the pouching mechanism comprises means for subdividing the needles into substantially two opposed groups, a heel group and a toe group, on which the respective pouches are knitted, and for diverting -the toe group to the loop-holding level during the productiony of the heel and the heel group to that level during the production of the toe.

According to a subsidiary feature of the invention -the machine knits at both feeding positions during the production of the welt. Other features of the invention are concerned with the provision of facilities for producing a picot edge, for patterning by needle selection throughout the entire needle circle as for example in the production of a garter band, and with the production of mock fashion marks on spaced mock-fashioning needles, such needles being so controlled that in predetermined revolutions of the machine they tuck'or float at both of the feeding positions.

Substantial diiculty is experienced on the one hand in making provisionfor the wide range ofneedle selection necessary in patterning throughout the entire needle circle and for the other facilities before mentioned, and at the same time for varying the Width of splicing by control of the needles without unduly complicated selecting mechanism or mechanisms and or without an undue increase in the length of the needle cylinder in order to accommodate jacks with the requisite number and di- .versity of patterning butts. A specific object of this invention is to overcome or minimise this ditiiculty 'by the provision of improved needle-selecting and controlling mechanism, but it will be appreciated that the utility of this mechanism is not restricted to the circular knitting machine hereinbefore defined.

Therefore the invention also includes a circular knitting machine having a tricked instrument bed, instruments (hereinafter referred to as jacks) slidably mounted therein and each carrying an operating butt to travel at a selecting level but capable of elevation therefrom to travel at a ready level and of greater elevation to an active height, a raising cam for raising each jack that comes within its range to bring the operating butt thereof to the active height irrespectivev of whether that butt is in at selecting or the ready level, lowering means for subsequently lowering at each revolution each such'elevated jack to lower its operating butt from the active height to the ready level, selective mechanism for making selections from among the jacks and for causing any selected jack or jacks to be raised by the raising cam to bring the operating butt or butts hereof from the selecting level to the active height, progressive .jack-raising means, additional to the selective mechanism and operating without progressive selections by the latter, for progressively elevating the operating butts of jacks from the selecting to the ready level and for producing a progressive increase in the number of .jacks whereof the operating butts are raised at each course to the active height and then lowered to the readylevel, which means comprises a lifting projection( e.g. the operating butt) and a laterally dellected nib on each successive jack in a limited group of themeach of which nibs is directed sideways to lie in the path of the lifting` projection of the neighboring jack and the spacing between which projections and nibs is such that upon the operating butt of an initial jack being raised to the active height the neighboring jack is raised to bring its operating butt from the selecting level to the ready level, jack-control means which, when rendered operative, ensures that each jack of the group that has its operating butt thus brought to the ready level is subsequently acted on by the raising cam whereby its operating butt is raised` to the active height and this jack by its butt movement to active height raises its neighbour, and a cancelling cam which, when rendered operative, lowers from the ready level to the selecting level the operating butt of each such neighbouring jack at a stage before that jack is acted on by the raising cam. It will readily be appreciated that the elevation of a jack to the active height may serve to cause a needle associated with that jack to perform functions derent from those performed by or to pursue a subsequent path diierent from that followed by needles associated with jacks that are not so raised. In particular, elevation of selected jacks, under the control of the selective mechanism, to the active height may be employed in the production of the picot edge, in patterning by needle selection throughout the entire needle circle, and for other purposes, whereas the progressive addition to the number of jacks, of the aforesaid group, that achieve that height by virtue of the operation of the progressive jack-raising means may be employed in the production of a spliced area of progressively increasing width. Moreover, since this progressive variation is achieved without utilising any of the selective or patterning scope possessed by the selective mechanism, it will readily be appreciated that the latter need not be unduly complicated nor the instrument bed unduly long.

The jacks are preferably capable of depression within their tricks into or out of range of the raising cam, the selective mechanism including means for producing such movements. Specifically the jacks may be provided (on themselves or on associated instruments) with patterning butts at contrasting locations, in combination with depressing means operating on the patterning butts to press selected jacks into their tricks and a setting cam for moving them out. The depressing means may serve to bring the jacks out of, and the setting cam may serve to bring them into, the range of the raising cam, or the reverse arrangement may be adopted.

Means (eg. forming part of the selective mechanism) may be provided for causing a predetermined group of the jacks, next to the nib group, to be elevated by the raising cam, at each of a plurality of successive revolutions, so that their operating butts attain the active height prior to the functioning of the progressive jack-raising means. Thus there may be produced a spliced area having an initial portion of uniform width followed by a portion of decreasing width. With advantage, there is a nib group at each side of the predetermined group.

An important subsidiary feature of the invention resides in means, hereinafter disclosed, for progressively decreasing the number of jacks of the nib group, or of each nib group, that attain the active height.

The foregoing and other features of the invention defined in the appended claims, are incorporated in the circular knitting machine, method of operation, and product, which will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a development of the interior of the cam box showing the cams, and, alongside it, a representative needle, jack, and bit, while Figure 2 is a diagram showing the lay-out of the knitting butts on the needles;

Figure 3 is an elevation (mainly diagrammatic) of the upper part of the knitting machine, omitting the cam box and various controls, this figure being provided mainly to assist the reader in co-relating the views shown in the following figures:

Figure 4 is a plan view, taken in the vicinity of the plane indicated by line IV-IV in Fig. 3, showing the latch ring and associated parts;

Figure 5 is a plan view, taken in the vicinity ofthe plane indicated by the line V-V in Fig. 3, showing the top bed plate and associated parts, including cams and various controls;

Figure 6 is a plan view, taken in the Vicinity of the plane indicated by the line Vi-VI in Fig. 3, showing the lower bed plate and various associated parts;

Figure 7 illustrates the manner in which the feeders are operated;

Figure 8 is a side elevation of control mechanism shown in Fig. 3, for operating the feeders;

Figure 9 is an elevation of trapper and cutter control mechanism shown in Fig. 3;

Figure l0 is an elevation, looking from the interior of the needle circle, of picker control mechanism shown in Fig. 5, and Figure 10A is an end elevation of one of the pickers;

Figure ll is an elevation of latch opener control mechanism shown in Fig. 3;

Figure 12 is an elevation of further parts of the latch opener control mechanism;

Figure 13 is a plan of some of this mechanism;

Figure 14 is a sectional elevation of control mechanism (shown in Fig. 6) for the repeating cam 30, Fig. 1;

Figures 15 and 16 are elevations of control mechanisms (shown in Fig. 6) for the setting cams 28, 29, Fig. l;

Figure 17 is an elevation of control mechanism (shown in Figs. 6 and 18) for the selective depressing mechanisms for the jacks;

Figure 18 is an elevation to some extent diagrammatic, of this depressing mechanism and its pattern drum; this figure also includes one of the jacks;

Figure 19 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing ing how the pattern drum may be racked by hand and how the concelling cams 37 and 39 are operated;

Figures 20, 2l and 22 are diagrams illustrating the functioning of the nibs 11 on the jacks during splicing on a constant number of needles, on an increasing number of needles, and on a decreasing number of needles, respectively.

The machine incorporates a tricked needle cylinder 6i? supported, in known manner, in a machine frame 61, Fig. 3, having a bottom plate 62 and a top plate 63 supported from it by pillars 64. At the top of the cylinder there is the usual sinker ring 65, and the latch ring 66 hinged at 67, and carrying the welting mechanism indicating generally by the reference 68; these parts and their function are Well understood in the art and need no further description or illustration herein. The needle cylinder 60 is equipped with latch needles 1 having butts indicated by the general reference 2, and below each needle there is a bit 3 having a butt 4 and a selecting jack 5. The selecting jacks 5 are provided with operating butts 6, and with selecting butts 7 at contrasting locations. They are of the known type each capable of being depressed within its trick by means of selective depressing mechanism operating (Figs. 6, 17 and 18) on the butts 7 so it rocks about a fulcrum point indicated at 8 (which bears against the base of the trick) to bring a lifting butt 9 into or out of range a jack-raising cam, the jack being rocked in the opposite direction by means of setting cam means operating on a setting butt 10 at its top end. In addition, two groups of the jacks 5 which are located beneath certain splicing needles have nibs 11 which are so bent that each of them overlies the neighboring jack. The arrangement and purpose of these nibs is hereinafter described.

The machine has two knitting positions at each of which a set of knitting cams is provided. These cams are shown in Fig. l and are conveniently referred to as a main set, grouped approximately under the bracket l2, and an auxiliary set grouped approximately under the bracket 13. For each set of knitting cams there is a set of interchangeable yarn feeders which are indicated respectively at 14 and 15 Fig. l; in Fig. 4 the locations of these two sets of feeders are respectively identified by the numerals 14A, 15A. Each set of feeders comprises at least one main feeder and at least one splicing feeder. Preferably the cams and feeders are stationary in space, and the needle cylinder rotates or oscillates as required.

The lay-out of the needle butts 2 is shown in Fig. 2. The butts of the heel needles are indicated at H, those of the instep needles at I, and those of the toe needles (included in the instep needles) at T. The heel needles are less in number than the toe needles, in order that a small heel may be produced. In general the butts of the toe needles are longer than those of the heel needles, so that the two opposed groups may readily be separated preparatory to knitting each pouch, but the toe needle butts include two groups of long butts G, T employed in making `a gusset too. At each end of the heel group, there are a few needles having butts X that are note quite so short as those of the other heel needles; the purpose of these butts X -is hereinafter explained.

The butts 2 of the needles are capable of pursuing Various tracks as determined by the cam lay-out. Of these tracks the four chief ones are the circular knitting track 16, the pouching track 17, the high inactive track 18, and the low inactive track 19. These tracks and local deviations yfrom them are hereinafter described, The ybutts 4 of the bits 3 are capable of pursuing an inactive track 20 with local deviations at 20a and Ztlb hereinafter described. The operating butts 6 of the jacks 8 are capable of pursuing three tracks, a low inactive track 21, a selecting track 22, and a ready track 23. Track 23 has local deviations 23a and 23b, to the active height hereinbefore referred to. The jack-raising butts 9 follow `a path which, according to the movements of the jacks about their fulcrums 8, causes the jacks to be engaged and elevated by Araising cams 24, 25, or to pass behind said cams.

The arrangement is such that the setting butts 10 ou the upper ends of the jacks 5 are engaged by setting cams such as 28, 29 and 30 and are depressed into the tricks. The jacks thus rock about their fulcrums 8 and the raising butts 9 are caused to protrude from the tricks into the range of raising cams 24, 25. However, the setting etfected by setting cams 28, 29 and 30 is selectively neutralised, by the operation of selective depressing means (at a selecting station) on the selecting butts 7. The lower ends of selected jacks are therefore pressed back into the tricks so that the operating butts 9 miss the cams 24, 25, and are held in by guard members 26, 27.

The selective depressing means consists of a battery of cams 69, Fig. 18, at levels appropriate to the levels at which butts 7 are provided, and a patterning device 70 such for example as a pin drum for pressing any selected cam or cams in towards the needle cylinder to engage and depress butts 7, into the tricks, upon rotation between the needle cylinder and said cams. This arrangement is later described in greater detail.

The machine is provided with inturned welt mechanism 68, conveniently of the kind known in Scott and Williams Model K machines, which mechanism includes welting instruments mounted in a dial 'and capable of temporary projection at the commencement of a welt so that alternate needles draw loops of an initial welt course over these instruments, which loops the latter retain while the welt is being knitted, and further capable of a temporary projection at the termination of the welt to permit these held loops to be taken by the intervening needles. An understanding of the character and arrangement of further features of the machine, including its cams, can best be conveyed in a description of the sequence of operations involved in making a stocking with an inturned welt.

At the commencement of the stocking the needles 1 are void of loops and it is necessary to set up the fabric thereon. To do so, the needles are divided as they approach clearing cam 44 so that odd needles continue in track 16 while even needles are elevated to track 16a to knit. This `division is produced by the selective depressing means acting on one row of butts 7 devoted to this purpose, the setting cam 29 being inserted to bring even jacks into range of raising cam 24. As a result, the butts 6 of even jacks are raised lfrom the selecting track 22 to the active height 23a, and these jacks are thus brought into contact with their bits 3 so that the butts 4 `of even bits are brought into range of cam 41 and are raisedto height 20a thereby raising thefassociated needles to track 16a'. 'The bits and jacks vare lowered by cam 49 (the lowering means aforesaid) so that the butts l6 of even jacks are brought down to the ready track 23; cancelling cam 37 is in operation for a reason hereafter described. Cam 43 being in operation, the odd needles pass beneath the cam 44 and ldo not knit at the first feeding position 14A (cam 34 being withdrawn) but the even needles knit at cam 45a. l

At the second feeding position 15A, all needles are cleared by cam 46 and knit (repeating cam 30, hereinafter mentioned, being inactive) and the operating butts 6 of the even jacks are lowered from the ready 4track 23 to the selecting track 22 by levelling cam 40.

The third course, is in essentials, a repeat of the first course, except in `that `the welting instruments are projected above the lowered odd needles, at a stage just after the odd needle butts have passed below cam 44 and before the butts of even needles descend cam 45a, so that the even needles draw loops over the projected welting instruments which are then withdrawn, and the fourth course is a repeat of the second. l

The fabric is thus set up on the originally-bare needles and knitting of the welt proceeds, two courses being knitted at each rotation.

For this purpose the needle down-throw cam 43 and the setting cam 29 are retracted. The depressing means does not press on the selector butts 7 so that no selection is made from among the jacks and all the jack butts 6 pursue selecting track 22 and the butts 4 of the bits 3 pursue 2t); the butts 2 of all the needles pursue track 16, passing over clearing cam 44, down stitch cam 45a, up clearing cam 46, down-stitch cam 47, and up cam 43.

When approximately half the length of welt fabric has been knitted it is desirable to make a picot edge. This is done by causing spaced needles to tuck for at least two courses. For this purpose clearing cams 44 and 46, are retracted `and setting cam 29 and repeating cam 30 rendered operative. All the jacks yare set by the cam 29. An appropriate selection is made from among the jacks, by the selective depressing means acting on butts 7, so that the jacks beneath the needles that are required to tuck are pressed in so as to miss the jack raising cam 24, with the result that the associated needles are not cleared but approach stitch cam 45a attucking height (track 16). On the other hand the jacks beneath the needles that are to knit at cam 45a are raised by cam 24, and the bits 3 are raised by cam 41 so that the needles are brought to track 16a and clear their loops, and therefore knit at cam 45a.

At this stage the butts 4 of the bits 3 having been lowered by cam 49 are travelling in track 20; the raised jacks beneath the needles required to knit having been lowered somewhat by the descent of the bits their butts 6 are travelling in ready track 23 with their setting butts 10 approaching the repeating cam 30. This cam 3i) presses in the butts 10 of the raised jacks (the butts 18 of the other jacks passing beneath it) so that the raising butts 9 of these raised jacks engage cam 25 to repeat the selection already made in advance of cam 24. Thus the butts 6 of the raised jacks are elevated from the ready track 23 to the active height 23h and their associated bits 3 are raised by cam 42 to height 20b. As a result, the needles that have already knitted at the main feeding position 14A are raised to clear and take thread at the second feeding position 15A but the tucking needles (the jacks of which are not raised by cam 25) travel up cam tlank Si and are only raised to tucking height. The butts of the knitting needles descend cams 52 and 47 to knit while the butts of the tucking needles descend cam 47, the butts of all needles being subsequently elevated to the tucking height track 16 by cam 48.

Revertinghere to the movements of the bits and the jacks, after the bits have been raised by cam 42 they are lowered by cam 50. This lowers the operating butts Y" 6 of the associated iacks from the active height 2317 into the range of cam 4|) which lowers said operating butts to the selecting track 22. Thus, at the second rotation the operating butts 6 of all jacks approach the selecting station in the selecting track 23.

After the requisite number of tuck stitch courses has been produced, normal knitting is resumed on all needles. For this purpose, setting cam 29 and repeating cam 36 are withdrawn and clearing cams 44 and 46 introduced, and knitting of the outside layer of the welt continues.

At the end of the welt, the loops of the initial welt course, held on the welting instruments, require to be transferred to the odd needles. Downthrow cam 36 is introduced to lower the butts of all needles to the bottom track 19; setting cam 29 is brought in and the even jacks selected and raised as in the setting-up courses. Thus the butts of even needles are raised from track 19 to track 16a, but the butts of odd needles approach cam 53 in track 19. The welting instruments are projected above the lowered odd needles; so that when the latter are raised by transfer cam 53 they penetrate the loops offered to them by the welting instruments the welting instruments being then withdrawn. The butts of odd and even needles travel on, and engage clearing cam 44 so that the needles then knit in the normal manner.

It may here be remarked that the butts 6 of the even jacks, after having been lowered to track 23 by operation of cam 49 on butts 4 of their bits, continue in that track until they meet cam 40 for the reason that the repeating cam 30 is inoperative. Cam 40 lowers the butts 6 to the selecting track 22.

Cams 29 and 36 are now withdrawn.

During the ensuing rotary knitting it may be desirable to produce a patterned garter band. The cam set out for so doing is that already described with reference to the picot edge, the needle selection being effected by means of the selecting butts 7 on the jacks 5.

The patterning may consist of tuck stitches, or of float stitches. In the latter instance, the feeders are so adjusted that while the needles that are cleared by reason of the elevation of their bits 3 by cams 41 and 42 take and knit two threads at each feeding position, those needles that only reach the tucking height miss one of these threads which is therefore oated.

Upon termination of the garter band, it is required to knit the leg of plain fabric but at an appropriate stage to commence the production of two lines of mock fashion marks. At the location at the back of the leg Where each line is to occur, a mock fashioning needle having an extra short butt is located among the heel needles H, and the marks are produced by causing these needles to tuck periodically.

At the end of the garter band, the needle clearing cam 32 is inserted sutilciently to cause all needles except the extra-short butt mock fashioning needles to clear. The setting cam 29 and the repeating earn 30 remain in operation, and the selective depressing mechanism is operated to permit all jacks to be raised by cams 24 and 25 in revolutions wherein tuck stitches are not to be produced. Therefore in these revolutions the mock fashioning needles clear at cams 41 and 42, it being noted that the use of cam 51 takes some of the load oft' the jacks and bits. In each revolution whereat tuck-stitch mock fashion marks are to be made the selective depressing mechanism depresses the jacks that are below the mock fashioning needles, so that these jacks miss raising cams 24 and 25 and the mock fashioning needles do not clear.

Mock fashioning marks are inserted in the required number and with the required frequency as knitting proceeds down the leg, and when the mock fashioning lines have reached a suflcient length the clearing cam 32 is pushed further in towards the cylinder and clearing cam 46 is introduced so that all needles, including the mock fashioning needles, clear thereat. Since all the needles clear and knit, cams 29 and 30 maybe withdrawn if desired so that the butts 6 of all jacks continue in the selecting track 22.

In an alternative method of producing the mock fashion marks, after the garter band has been completed, cam S4 remains operation and cams 32 and 46 are introduced so far that these cams clear all needles except the extra-short butt mock fashioning needles; the jacks beneath the mock fashioning needles are selected to be elevated, to clear their needles, by cams 24 and 25 so that plain knitting results until such time as the mock fashioning is to be started. When the mock fashioning needles are selectively passed in to miss cams 24 and 2S, the mock fashioning needles are only elevated to tuckin g height by cams 53 and 48.

On approach towards the heel it is desired to produce a high splice or cuban heel. For this purpose a limited number of heel needles is so elevated in each course that these needles take a splicing thread as Well as a main thread (fed somewhat lower than the splicing thread) at each of the two feeder positions, and as knitting proceeds the number of these needles is progressively increased either immediately or after a predetermined number of courses.

It is in this progressive increase that the nibs 11 of the jacks 5 play their part.

At the commencement of splicing the jacks 5 are subdivided so that the butts 6 of an initial splicing group of jacks IS (Fig. 20) midway in the heel needles H, are elevated from the selecting track 22 into the level 23a. This sub-division is effected by setting cam 29 in conjunction with the selecting mechanism operating on the butts 7, so as to cause the required jacks to be elevated by cam 24. In addition, the needle down-throw cam 54 is introduced so that the needles having been cleared b-y cam 32 are again lowered to track 16 in which they tend to continue at tucking height. Thus, splicing jacks IS which are raised by cam 24 raise their bits 3 to bring the butts 4 into the range of cam 41 and the associated needles are raised to track 16a. The needles in track 16a take the splicing yarn and the main yarn while the needles at track 16 only take the main yarn. All the needles knit at cam 45a, clear at cam 46 and are lowered to tucking height by cams 45. The jacks IS raised by cam 24 are lowered to the ready level 23 by cam 49 and the repeating cam 30 being operative, the selection made in advance of the first knitting position is repeated in advance of the second knitting position so that the splicing jacks IS are raised by cam 25, their bits 3 are raised by cam 42, and the splicing needles are raised by the bits to a height such that they take the main yarn and the splicing yarn at the second feeding position While the other needles, being at tucking height, only take the main yarn. All needles knit at cam 47. The splicing jacks raised by cam 25 are lowered to the ready level 23 by cam 50. At this level, their setting butts 1t) are above the setting cam 29, so a further setting cam 28 is provided above the latter which re-sets the splicing jacks so that at the next revolution, they are again raised by cam 24.

It will be seen from Fig. 2O that during the parallel splicing cam 37 is in operation. This cam 37 engages certain of the jack butts 6 that reach it at level 23 and bring them down to the selecting level 22. Its purpose is as follows.

The two jacks Sr and Si located at the ends of the initial splicing group IS are provided with the nibs 11. Likewise at the right and left hand sides of this initial group there is a number of widening jacks SWR and SWL, Fig. 21 also provided with nibs 11. The nib 11 of the right hand end jack Sr of group- S and of each jack SWR to the right of it is bent to the right (looking on the outside of the needle circle) so that each nib overlaps the neighboring jack, and in a like manner the nib on the left hand end jack Sl of group IS and the nib on each jack SWL to the left of it is bent to the left. It therefore follows that when an end jack such as Sr or Sl of the initial group IS is raised above the ready track 23 by cam 24 or cam 25 its bit 11 engages the butt 6 of the neighbor jack and raises that jack also until its butt 6 is in track 23. Were this butt permitted to continue in track 23 the jack to which it belongs would be acted on by repeating cam 30 and raised to level 23h by cam 25 so that the associated needle would take the splicing thread fed at the second feeding position. There would thus be an increase in the width of splicing, the build-up continuing in a way which is later described. It is to prevent this happening that cam 37 is employed, for this cam engages the butts 6 of the jacks Sr and Sl and lowers them to level 22 so that these jacks are not acted on by the repeating cam 30. A cam 39 (Fig. l) performs a like function at the second knitting position. These cams 37, 39 are termed cancelling cams.

Thus, an area of splicing is produced on a predetermined constant number of needles. It is now desired to widen this area of splicing, it being understood that at this stage the butts 6 of all the jacks of the initial splicing group are travelling in the ready track 23 (rising to heights 23a and 23h in advance of each feeding position) and the butts 6 of all the other jacks are travelling in selecting track 22.

The widening is achieved by progressive jack-raising means, additional to the selective depressing mechanism and operating without progressive selections by the latter, for progressively elevating the butts 6 of splicing jacks from the selecting track 22 to the ready track 23 and for producing a progressive increase in the number of jacks that at each course have their butts 6 raised to the active level 23a, or 23h, and then lowered to the ready level by cam 49 or 50. The progressive jack raising means comprises the nibs 11 and lifting projections (in the present example, the butts 6) on the jacks.

When it is desired to widen the cancelling cams 37 and 39 are retracted. Therefore when one of the end jacks Sl, Sr is raised by cam 24 to level 23a and its nib 1l hooks under the butt 6 of the neighboring jacks and raises that butt from track 22 to track 23 (as illustrated in Fig. 2l) the butt 6 of such raised neighboring jacks continues in the ready track 23 towards the second feeding position. lts setting butt is now within range of (Le. at a level to be acted on by) the repeating cam 30, which, being operative, sets that jack (as it does all the jacks of the initial splicing group IS) so that the latter is raised by cam 25 and its butt 6 elevated to active height 23b, to cause the associated needle to splice, the butt being subsequently returned to ready track 23 by cam 50. The elevation of this jack at the second feeding position causes its nib 11 to lift the next neighbor jack and to bring the butt 6 of the latter from the selecting track 22 to the ready track 23 in which its setting butt 10 is in range of setting cam 28 so that this next jack is set to have its butt 9 raised by cam 24 with the result that the associated needle splices. The same action occurs at each end of the initial splicing group, and in this manner the width of the splicing is progressively increased by two needles in each course without any alteration in the selection eected by the depressing means. Obviously, were cancelling cam 39 in operation the increase would be by two needles at every second course.

It is here to be emphasized that the progressive variation in the number of needles taking the splicing threads is effected without using any of the selection or patterning scope possessed by the selective mechanism, 69, 70.

The widening continues until the desired width has been achieved but it is stopped before all the jacks having the nibs 11 have been utilised. It may here be pointed out however, that other stages in the sequence of` operations at which some of the splicing jacks are elevated by cam 24 or cams 24 and 25 each jack having a nib 11 will 10 elevate its neighbor and it is therefore necessary to return such neighbor to the track 22. It is for this reason that at other stages during the sequence of operations the cancelling cams 37 and 39 are active.

At the stage whereat the machine changes over to reciprocation for the heel the butts 6 of the active splicing jacks are all travelling in ready track 23 and the butts of the non-splicing jacks are travelling in selecting track 22. Cams 23 and 30 are rendered inoperative so that none of the jacks is elevated `by cams 24 and 25 with the result that the butts 4 of all thev bits 3 travel in track 20. Everything is therefore ready for the sub-division of the needles by the elevation of the instep needles l into the high inactive track 1S. For this purpose the raising cam 33 is introduced to an extent suicient to engage only the butts of the instep needles and to elevate them to track I8 and the machine rgoes into reciprocation. In the rst swing (which is in the direction of the previous rotation) the butts of the heel needles travelling along track 16 so that the needles (having already been cleared by cam 32) knit at cam 45a. They are again cleared at cam 46 and knit at cam 47, thus two courses are knitted in av swing. Towards the end of this swing, cams 32, 33 and 54 are withdrawn, and cams 34 and 44 inserted. In the reverse swing the needles are raised from track 16 `by cam 47 to clear so that at least the lirst needle is picked up into track 18 by a narrowing picker 72, Fig. 5 (the pickers being positioned above cams 44, 47): the remaining needles knit at cam 45h, clear at cam 34, knit at cam 44, and are raised to track 16 by cam 53. Thus, two courses are knitted in the second swing also. In the third swing the needles knit as in the first swing except that at least the leading needle is picked up by that picker 71 which operates above cam 44 and passes to the inactive track 1S.

These operations continue until the desired number of needles Ihave been elevated into the inactive loop holding track and thereafter the needles are progressively picked-down from track 18 to track 16 by a widening picker 73, Fig. 3, which is positioned underneath the levelling cam 55.

It may here :be mentioned that the up-pickers 71, 72 maybe so formed as each to lift two needles. This gives that rate of narrowing that is usual in the production of stockings of the type specified, two needles being raised at each swing (in which two courses are knitted). Their picking ends may be stepped, soy that when controlled to have a low receiving position they each pick up two needles and when controlled to have an upper receiving position they each pick up one needle. Thus in order to achieve the usual rate of widening of two needles per swing, the down picker 73 may be constructed to pick down three needles per swing and the up-pickers 71, 72 controlled to pick one of them back up again.

Figure 10A shows the stepped formation of the picking end 71a of up-picker 71, and it will be appreciated that picker 72 is similarly constructed. Mechanism for contro-lling the up-pickers is later described with reference to Figs. 5 and l0.

Various forms of pouch may be produced lby controlling the picking. For example, the pickers 71, 72 may be so controlled that after the required number of needles have been picked up, some of them are picked down and then picked up again before they are all picked down, in the production of what is known as a Y-heel. It is also within the scope of the invention to introduce all the inactive heel needles en 'block instead of progressively in the production of what is known as a square heel. Alternatively, after some of them have been picked up, they can be restored all at once, and then picked up again, narrowing being continued until only the required number of heel needles are active, all the inactive heelv needles being then lowered en bloc. In a further modification, the heel needles indicated at X in Fig. 2 may be raised to inactivity with the instep needles I and subsequently lowered (either bypicking, or by' a cam) at the end of the widening. For example, in the case of a Y heel the needles X may be picked down before the instep needles are lowered; in the case of a square heel, after the inactive heel needles have been introduced en bloc, the needles X may be picked up and again introduced en bloc.

The introduction of inactive needles en bloc (whether they consist only of the instep needles or of the instep needles and certain elevated heel needles) is effected by introducing the lowering cam 54. The machine now changes over to rotation for the foot and since it is necessary to resume splicing on the splicing needles that prior to the heel were operative (i.e. having jack butts in track 23) the clearing cams 44 and 34 are withdrawn, setting cam 29, repeating cam 3G, and cancelling cams 37 and 39 are introduced.

In the first rotation of the foot two courses are therefore knitted and in each course certain needles take the splicing threads. Either immediately, or after a few courses, it is desirable to narrow the; spliced area in the production of what is commonly known as a cradle sole. The narrowing is effected, through the medium of the nibs 11 and the narrowing cam 38 (now introduced) so as progressively to lower jacks and to bring their butts from track 23 to track 22.

The butts 6 of the active splicing jacks pursue track 23 and are raised (by operation of cam 24 on butts 9) to height 23a. In this upward movement, the nib 11 of the leading jack and of the last or trailing jack, engages the butt 6 of the next jack (a non-splicing jack) and raises that butt from track 22. At about the time the leading or trailing jack is lowered by cam 49, the newly raised butt of the next jack is lowered by cam 37 and then by cam 3S, to level 21 (as are also the butts of all the non-splicing jacks). In this descent the butt 6 of this next jack presses down on the nib 11 of the leading or trailing jack (as the case may be) and lowers the butt 6 thereof from track 23 to track 22 beyond cams 37, 38. At this stage, then, the butts of all the active splicing jacks are in track 23, except the butts of the leading and trailing jacks, which are in track 22. The setting butts 10 of the leading and trailing jacks are thus below the repeating cam 30, so these jacks are not raised, with the other splicing jacks, by cam 25 so that the associated needles do not take the splicing thread at the second feeding position (the width of splicing being thereby reduced by two needles in this course); although the leading and trailing jacks are inevitably lifted slightly by nibs of their inner neighbouring jacks (as the latter ascend cant 25) they are lowered to track 22 again by cam 39.

The butts 6 of all the non-splicing jacks travelling in track 21 are raised to track 2-2 by lower levelling cam 155.

Thus at the next revolution the butts 6 of all nonsplicing jacks (being two more than at the previous revolutions) approach the first knitting position in track 22 and the butts 6 of the active splicing jacks (being two less than at the previous revolution) approach in track 23. The same sequence of events occurs, so that the width of splicing is reduced by two needles at each revolution.

lf desired, a further cam (similar to 38) may be provided in association with cancelling cam 39 so that the narrowing is at the rate of four needles per revolution (two needles per course) and the rate of decrease may be varied at will by periodically rendering the cancelling cam 39 (or said further cam) inoperative.

These operations proceed at both edges of the spliced area and continue until the latter has been sufficiently reduced in width. This is the stage which is illustrated in Fig. 22. The jack which is beneath the leading splicing needle (of the reduced width of splicing) is reduced at a; that beneath the next non-splicing needle is indicated at 5b. Butt 6 of active splicing jack 5a is in track 23. Butt 6 of non-splicing jack 5b is in track 22, having been pulled down (beyond cams 37, 38) by butt 6 of the next non-splicing jack 5c pressing on its nib 11 as jack 5c was lowered from track 23 to track 21 by cams 37, 38. It will therefore be appreciated that were cam 38 to remain in action, at the next revolution it would lower butt 6 of the jack 5b to track 21, and jack 5b would pull the butt 6 of its next outward neighbour jack down to track 22, and so the progressive reduction in splicing width would go on.

However, after the splicing has been sutiiciently reduced in width, it is then necessary to continue Iknitting the foot bottom with a constant width of splicing. For this purpose the lowering cam 38 is withdrawn. The cancelling cams 37 and 39 continue in operation. As a result the inherent tendency of the jacks to pick up their neighbours is cancelled by cams 37 and 39 so that the splicing is not widened, and the lowering of neighbouring jacks by cam 37 is not continued by cam 38 so that the spliced area is not narrowed.

Upon approach to the toe it is desirable again to widen the splicing and for this purpose cams 37 and 39 are withdrawn so that the jacks pick themselves up as in widening before the heel, until the desired width is achieved. It may here be mentioned that the shape of the widening may be controlled by periodically introducing cams 37 and 39 into activity, both at this stage and in splicing above the heel, it being appreciated that when these cams are active the splicing continues at uniform width.

. At the end of this spliced area it is desired to knit a few courses by rotation before commencing the toe.

The toe pouch is knitted by reciprocation upon a group of needles and it is necessary therefore to elevate all the other needles to the inactive loop holding track 18. If the toe is knitted on the same group of the needles as the heel, the said other needles are the instep needles I but if the toe is knitted on the instep needles the said other needles are the heel needles H. If, as may be desirable, the heel is knitted on a lesser number of needles than the toe, then in addition to the heel needles H being elevated, a few needles at each side of the heel group are elevated also.

For this purpose, setting cam 28 and repeating cam 30 are withdrawn, and cam 40 is inserted to bring the butts 6 of all the jacks to the selection level 22. The right hand stitch cam 44 is introduced, followed shortly after by clearing cam 34. Cam 52 is withdrawn and cam 36 is introduced sufficiently to lower the butts of the toe needles I to track 19, allowing all other butts to continue at tucking height. Cam 33 is introduced to raise the latter to the inactive loop-holding track 18 and is irnmediately withdrawn.

The machine goes into oscillation, and in the rst swing the butts 2 of the toe needles are raised by cam 53, so that the toe needles clear at cam 44, knit at cam 45a, clear at cam 46, knit at cam 47, and are raised to tucking height at cam 48. Thereafter, the toe is knitted in a manner similar to the heel, except that if a gusset toe is to be produced the gusset toe needles G.T. are manipulated in known manner.

While the toe is being knitted the butts 4 of all bits 3 follow track20, and the butts 6 of all jacks follow track 22.

At the end of the toe it is necessary to revert to rotary knitting on all needles in order to produce linking courses of looper rounds. For this purpose, on the machine changing over to rotary knitting, cam 54 is introduced to lower the inactive needles from track 1S to track 16.

Next, the lfabric is pressed off the needles, by withdrawing the thread feeders, and preparations are made for setting-up an initial course of the next stocking as already described.

It will be appreciated that the product of this machine, operating as described, is a seamless stocking having an inturned welt with a picot edge, an `all-round garter band, a seamless leg with fashion marks and a high heel splice, a seamless foot with a cradle sole, a heel pouch, and a toe pouch (the latter being if desired, knitted with its wales continuous with the foot top so as to provide for under-toe linking), whereof the welt, leg, and foot are knitted as a two-start spiral (since two courses are knitted at each revolution), each course in the spliced area is spliced, and the heel and toe pouches are knitted Yin an alternating two-course sequence wherein pairsof courses (eg. rst and second, fifth and sixth, ninth and tenth, etc.) in which one thread extends continuously to Aand fro alternate with intervening pairs of courses (e.g. third and fourth, seventh and eighth etc.) in which another thread extends continuously to vand fro (since two courses are knitted at each swing).

The various cams described with reference to Figure 1 are bolt cams and mechanisms for producing `their movement into and out of operative position under the control of a patterning device such as a main cam drum74 will present no difficulty to hosiery machine builders and mechanics. However, representative mechanisms for shifting them, and for controlling other moving parts, will now be described by way of example.

Mounted on the top plate 63 there is a series of bell crank levers indicated generally by the reference 75 in Figures 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 14 and 15; they have a common axis 78 and are operated by push rods all of which have the general reference 79. The lever and push rod shown in Figure 8 is a typical example.

Referring now to Figure 5, cam 43 is operated through bell crank lever 88, link 81, a lever 82a of `a battery 82 of such levers pivoted at 83, and link 84a operated by lever 75a. Cam 44 is operated by rock lever 75C through link 84C and bell crank lever 85. Cam 34 is operated through bell crank lever 75d, link 84d and lever 86. Cam 46 is operated through bell crank lever 75e and link 84e. Cam 52 is operated through bell crank lever 185 pivoted at 186, link 84f and bell crank 75f. Cams 35 and 36 are operated by bell crank levers 88a, 88b of a battery thereof 88 pivoted at 89, these levers being `actuated through links 84g, 84h and bell crank levers 75g and 75h.

Lever 751' controls latch openers and stop motion mechanisms. When it pulls on link 87, Figures and 1l, it rocks a lever 90 pivoted at 91 and the top end of the latter `swings latch opener 92 to inoperative position about its pivot 93. The movement of lever 90 is sirnultaneously communicated by link 94 to a lever 95 pivoted at.96, and this lever is pulled so that it rocks horizontal lever 97 about pivot 98. This lever 97 carries a trip wire 99 which is a feeler which is set to be engaged by any latch which reaches it in the closed attitude and thereby operates a conventional stop motion.

The feeler 99 is pivoted at 101B on the lever 97 and has an arm 101 connected by a wire 102 to lever 103 pivoted at 186. The latter is connected by wire 104 to lever 105 and thence to the stop motion.

Another latch opener 106, Figures 12 and 13, is arranged to operate betweenthe centre stitch cam 45 and the left hand stitch cam 47. This latch opener is pivoted at 187 and is drawn by a spring 108 in the operative direction. It is moved to the inoperative position simultaneously with latch opener 92. For this purpose there is a link 189 which is pivoted to the rear end of lever 97 at 110 and is connected at 111 to a lever 112 pivoted at 107 and carrying an upstanding pin 113. Thus when the lever 112 is moved in the clockwise direction, Fig. 13, the latch opener 106 is moved by pin 11S-to inoperative position.

The pickers 71, 72 are controlled from the bell crank lever 75j. The latter operates, through link 84j, a rock lever 114 pivoted at 11S, and from this lever 115, picker control wires 116g, 116b extend for the purpose of controlling the respective pickers 71, 72. Considering the picker 71, wire 116a-is connected to lever 11'7a (Fig. 10)

'1d Y pivoted at A118e and having an arm 119a which is located beneath the tail 71h of picker 71. Thus when link 84j Vis pulled by the bell ,crank lever 75]', it rocks lever 114 and causes the tail 71b of the picker 71to be lowered. The operativeend '71a of the picker is therefore raised so that the lower one of the two steps shown in Figure 10A is presented to the knitting butts 2 and only one needle is brought up at a time.

The mechanism for controlling the picker 72 is substantially identical with that shown in Fig. 10, the picker raising lever being indicated at 11T/b in Fig. 5.

The latch ring 66 carries trapping and cutting mech anisms 141 controlled by levers 120 in Fig. 4. These levers 120 are controlledby certain push rods 79, such for example as that shown at 79x in Figs. 9 and 12. Latch ring 66 further carries latch guard ring 142 provided with two gap closers 143, 144 (one for each feeding position).

Cams 24, 25 and 30 are mounted underneath the top plate 63. Cam 38 is operated directly `by bell crank 75k, Figs. 6 and 14. Cams 24, 25 are operated by bell cranks 75l, 75m, tie rods 841, 84m, bell crank levers 1201, 120m pivoted at 121, links 1221, 122m and bell crank levers 1231 and 123m pivoted at 124. It will be noted from Figs. 14 and l5 that the crank levers 75k, 75l, 75m, reach down to the underside of plate 63 because the cams 24, 25 and 30, andthe tie rods 84! and 84m are located beneath it.

Others of the bell crank levers 75 control the feeders 14, 15. Of these feeders those shown in Fig. 7 are representative. They include the interchangeable ground feeders such as 15a pivoted at 125, and splicing feeder 15b pivoted at 126. Each feeder is biased into feeding position by a spring such as 127, Fig. 7 and is movable out of feeding position by one of the bell crank `levers 75 shown at the left hand end of Fig. 4; the means for operating the splicing feeder 15b will be described as an example. The bell crank lever 75,1 is connected to a flexible cable 12871 running in a sheath 129n which sheath extends between stops 138, 131. The other end of the flexible cable 128:1 is connected to an arm of the feeder.

The bottom plate 62 also carries a series of bell crank levers 76 (Figs. 6 and 17) operable by some of the push rods 79. They are employed to provide a direct control for some of the .jack depressing cams 69. For exalrnple, the lower cams 69a, b, c, and d, are-connected to crank levers 76a, b, c, d by the tie rods 77a, b, c, and d respectively. Crank lever '76e is connected by tie rod 77e to lever 132 pivoted at 133 and having an enlarged head 134 of sutlicient height to engage a number of the cams 69 and to move them all into operative position.

The drum '71B which operates the cams 69 selectively is racked by any conventional mechanism including a rack Wheel 135. lt may also be racked by means of a clawker 136 and hand lever 137, Fig. 19. Moreover the drum 78 may be employed to operate the cams 37 and 39. For this purpose it is provided at the top with a suitably cut earn disc 138 which engages a feeler 139 connected by Vmechanism 148 to the cams 37 and 39.

As regards the functions of the jack butts 7 on which the cams 69 operate, they may be as follows:

Butts 7a for setting up;

Butts 7b for mock fashion marks;

Butts 7c for the picot edge;

Butts 7d for high heel splicing;

Remaining butts for patterning purposes as for ex ample in the garter band.

We claim:

1. A circular knitting machine having a tricked instrument bed, jacks slidably mounted therein and each carrying an Operating butt to travel at a selecting level but capable of elevation therefrom to travel at a ready level and of greater elevation to an active height, a raising cam for raising each jack that comes Within its range to bring the operating butt thereof `to the `active height irrespective of whether that butt is in the selecting or the ready level, lowering means for subsequently lowering at each revolution each such elevated jack to lower its operating butt from the active height to the ready level, selective mechanism for making selections from among the jacks and for causing any selected jack o-r jacks to be raised by the raising cam to bring the operating butt or butts thereof from the selecting level to the active height, progressive jack-raising rneans, additional to the selective mechanism and operating Without progressive selections by the latter, for progressively elevating the operating butts of jacks from the selecting to the ready level and for producing a progressive increase in the number of jacks whereof the operating butts are raised at each course to the active height and then lowered to the ready level, which means comprises a lifting projection and a laterally deiiected nib on each successive jack in a limited group of them each of which nibs is directed sideways to lie in the path of the lifting projection of the neighbouring jack and the spacing between which projections and nibs is such that upon the operating butt of an initial jack being raised to the active height the neighbouring jack is raised to bring its operating butt from the selecting level to the ready level, jack-control means which, when rendered operative, ensures that each jack of the group that has its operating butt thus brought to the ready level is subsequently acted on by the raising cam whereby its operating butt is raised to the active height and this jack by its butt movement to active height raises its neighbour, and a cancelling ca'm which, when rendered operative, lowers from the ready level to the selecting level the operating; butt of each such neighbouring jack at a stage before that jack is acted on by the raising cam.

2. A machine according to claim 1, having the jacks capable of depression within their tricks into or out of range of the raising cani, the selective mechanism including means for producing such movements.

3. A machine according to claim 2, having the jacks provided with patterning butts at contrasting locations, in combination with depressing means operating on the patterning butts to press selected jacks into their tricks and a setting cam for moving them out.

4. A machine according to claim 3 having two feeding positions with knitting cams at each position, selecting mechanism as aforesaid provided in advance of one feeding position, and means for repeating in advance of the second position the selections made in advance of the iirst, and having, for the second position, a second raising cam, a second lowering means, and a second setting cam (or repeating cani) for operating on jacks leaving the first position at the ready level but inoperable on jacks at the selecting level.

5. A machine according to claim 4, having a leveling cam at the second position which, when rendered operative, lowers to the selecting level the operating butts brought down to the ready level by the second lowering means.

6. A machine according to claim 4, wherein the iirst mentioned setting cam at the first position is so disposed as to miss jacks having their butts at the ready level and a second setting cam is provided, at the iirst position, which when operative acts on jacks having their butts at the ready level.

7. A machine according to claim 4, having a cancelling cam at the second position which, when rendered operative, lowers from the ready to the selecting level.

8. A machine according to claim l, having means for causing a predetermined group of the jacks, next to the nib group, to be elevated by the raising cam, at each of a plurality of successive revolutions, so that their operating butts attain the active height prior to the functioning of the progressive jack-raising means.

9. A machine according to claim 8, having a nib group at each side of the predetermined group.

l0 A machine according to claim 1, having decreasing means, for progressively decreasing the number of jacks in the nib group, that attain the active height, which decreasing means comprises cam means which, when rendered operative, lowers from the selecting level the operating butts brought to the selecting level by the cancelling cam.

l1. A machine according to claim 10, having bits interposed between the jacks and the needles, butts on the bits, and a bit raising cam for acting on the butts of the bits when the latter are raised into its range, movement of the jacks to the active height serving to raise the bits into range of said cam.

12. A machine according to claim l, having two feeding positions with knitting cams at each position, selecting mechanism as aforesaid provided in advance of one feeding position, and means for repeating in advance of the second position the selections made in advance of the first.

13. A machine according to claim 12, having a movable clearing cam arranged to cause the needles to clear.

14. A machine according to claim l, having a clearing cam movable to inoperative position and having the raising cam arranged to cause the needles to clear.

l5. In a circular knitting machine the combination comprising a tricked instrument bed, jacks slidably mounted therein and each carrying a lifting projection, a raising cam to cooperate with said jacks to raise to an active height all jacks within its range, lowering means for subsequently lowering each such elevated jack from the active height to a ready level, selecting mechanism whereby predetermined ones only of such jacks at a low selecting level below the ready level are caused to come Within the range of said raising cam, progressive jack raising means additional to the selecting mechanism for producing a progressive increase in the number of jacks which are raised on each course to the active height and then lowered to the ready level which jack raising means comprises a laterally deflected nib on each successive jack in a limited group thereof spaced downwardly from the lifting projection, each of which nibs is directed sideways to lie in the path of the lifting projection of the neighbouring jack, the spacing between the nib of a jack and its lifting projection being such that when the jack is raised to active height the neighbouring jack is raised to the ready level, jack controlling means to cause jacks thus raised to the ready level to be acted on by thc raising cam, and a movable cancelling cam which when operative lowers from the ready level to the selecting level each jack raised by a nib of a neighboring jack before such jack can be actuated by the raising cam.

16. In a circular knitting machine the combination comprising a tricked instrument bed, jacks slidably and rockably mounted therein and each carrying an operating butt, a raising cam to cooperate with said jacks to raise to an active height all jacks rocked in their tricks to bring them Within its range, lowering means for subscquently lowering each such elevated jack from 'the active height to a ready level, selecting mechanism whereby predetermined ones only of jacks at a low selecting level below the ready lever are caused to project from their tricks and thereby come within the range of said raising cam, progressive jack raising means additional to said selecting mechanism for producing a progressive increase in the number of jacks raised by the raising cam at each course and then lowered to the ready level, Said jack raising means comprising a laterally ydeflected nib on each successive jack in a limited group of the jacks, each such nib being positioned to lie in the path of the operating butt of a neighboring jack and being so positioned that the nib on a jack raised to the active height raises the neighboring jack to the ready level, jack control means which when operative ensures that each jack at the ready level on encountering the raising cam will project from its trick into the range of the raising cam, and a movable References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,718,932 I ones June 25, 1929 18 Katzenmoyer Sept. 7, 1937 Page et al. Oct. 30, 1945 Page et al. Oct. 30, 1945 Lawson Apr. 27, 1948 McDonough Dec. 4, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Feb. 9, 1939 Great Britain Dec. 30, 1949 

